This invention relates generally to lock devices, and in particular to a lock device for securing electronic test apparatus.
Portable hand-held electronic instruments for use in servicing and testing a wide variety of electrical parameters are extremely popular in today's mobile work environment simply because they can be taken to the job site or where a problem is to be resolved. Such instruments are now being characterized as tools, and include a wide array of what were once classified as laboratory or "bench-top" test and measurement instruments, such as multimeters, oscilloscopes, process calibrators, cable testers and network troubleshooters, and the like.
Considerable effort has been made to enhance the portability of these instruments by providing ways to include or attach accessory items, such as probes, test leads, and various adapters or devices for converting physical parameters like temperature and pressure to electrical quantities. Now there is a trend toward enhancing the versatility and convenience, as well as safety, of these instruments once they are on the job. In U.S. application Ser. No. 09/144,183, filed Aug. 31, 1998, and assigned Fluke Corporation, an electronic instrument is provided with an accessory-receiving cavity or recess built into its plastic case. The recess includes a pair of pockets on either side into which corresponding tabs of a flexible accessory mount may be received. The accessory mount snaps into place, and is easily removed, and provides an inexpensive, reliable, and convenient method of accommodating accessory items such as straps and the like for hands-free operation.
It is often desired to leave electronic test apparatus unattended; however, the portability of small instruments also makes it easy for someone to take them or remove them from a service environment. Even simply moving the instrument a few inches could result in a test lead or probe pulling loose from its test node and unintentionally contacting unsafe voltages or creating hazardous short circuits. Thus, it has become a common practice under some circumstances to actually lock the instrument in place. These circumstances typically involve situations in which a test set-up has been made to monitor a piece of electrical equipment for intermittent problems or elusive events which the instrument can capture without the service technician being there. For example, if a multimeter is found locked to an electrical cabinet, other technicians should know not to disturb the test set-up and allow only the person who locked the instrument in place to remove it. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, and service technicians return to their unattended instrument only to find it removed from its test location.
Conventional wisdom would dictate adding some sort of permanent fixture to the instrument, such as a molding into the instrument case a locking ring or gluing a fixture to the instrument. However, in providing an instrument intended for general usage, this would be an unnecessary addition and expense for those having no need for such a fixture.